Oscillating sprinkler with snap-in nozzle strip

ABSTRACT

An irrigation sprinkler is supported at both ends and has a central bowed section the convex side of which is provided with a plurality of aligned spaced nozzle holes through which jets of water emerge in a fan-like pattern. The bowed section has a Ushaped cross-section the open side of which is closed by a strip containing the nozzle holes. The structure is of a molded plastic providing accurately formed holes which provide for the accurate spray pattern.

United States Patent [191 Rodgers [451 Dec. 17, 1974 O SCILLATINGSPRINKLER WITH SNAP-IN NOZZLE STRIP [76] Inventor: J. Linn Rodgers, 9606La Serna Dr.,

Whittier, Calif. 90605 [22] Filed: Feb. 7, 1974 [21] App]. No.: 440,376

[52] U.S. Cl 239/242, 239/567, 239/596, 239/600 [51] Int. Cl B05b l/04,B05b 1/20, B05b 3/14 [58] Field of Search 239/242, 548, 552, 566,239/567, 596, 600

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,534,633 4/1925 Congable239/567 X 2,952,413 9/1960 Jepson 239/548 X 3,212,719 10/1965 DiCorpo239/566 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 114,362 6/1945 Sweden 239/596Primary ExaminerRobert S. Ward, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Donald D.Mon

[ ABSTRACT An irrigation sprinkler is supported at both ends and has acentral bowed section the convex side of which is provided with aplurality of aligned spaced nozzle holes through which jets of wateremerge in a fan-like pattern. The bowed section has a .U-shapedcrosssection the open side of which is closed by a strip containing thenozzle holes. The structure is of a molded plastic providing accuratelyformed holes which provide for the accurate spray pattern.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures OSCILLATING SPRINKLER WITH SNAP-IN NOZZLESTRIP This. invention relates to liquid sprinklers and moreparticularly, to a type of sprinkler which sprays liquid such as waterinto the air in a fan-like pattern while oscillating back and forth.

Water sprinklers for watering lawns and the like which send sprays ofwater into the air in a generally fan pattern while oscillating back andforth have heretofore been in use. These commonly comprise a metal tubewhich is bowed at a position between its two ends and arranged tooscillate back and forth in a rotary motion about the axis of itsaligned ends. At the convex side of the bowed section there are commonlya plurality of small spaced nozzle holes arranged along a line throughwhich water forced into the tube from a source is sprayed. The tube isconnected to a source of oscillatory motion arranged so that half waythrough a rotary motion the central diametric plane passing through theline of holesis vertical. Hence, the fan of spray jets both sides of thevertical.

In the case of inexpensive sprinklers the small holes through the tubearecommonly made by punching through the wall of the tube. It has beenfound that such holes do not ordinarily send all of the jets out in thesame plane as is desired, apparently due to burrs or other inaccuraciesinherent in the punching operation. In order to assure that all jetswill emerge in the same plane it has heretofore beennecessary to usesuch expedients as brass or plastic inserts provided with the holes.Such an expedient results in a relatively expensive sprinkler.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sprinkler of thistype by which the jets are sprayed out substantially in a single planeand which can also be made relatively inexpensively.

The invention is carried out by providing an open slot along the convexside of the bowed section of a conduit and providing a bevelled groovealong both sides of the slot. There is provided a strip dimensioned tofit the slot and close it. The strip is provided with protrudingbevelled sides adapted to snap into the bevelled groove of the slot. Thestrip is provided with a plurality of small nozzle holes through whichthe liquid, ordinarily water, is sprayed out in jets. The strip with itsnozzles is preferably formed by molding. It has been found that suchFIG. 6 is a cross-section view taken -at line 6-.-6 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a hollow conduit 10 comprisinga bowed section 11 located between two relatively short end sections 12and 13. The end sections 12 and 13 are aligned on a common axis 14 sothat they can rotate about this axis back and forth through an angle asindicated by arrows 15 shown in FIG. 5. This produces a correspondingoscillatory motion of the bowed section 11 which bows convex outwardlyfrom axis 14. The end sections 12 and 13 and the main portion of thebowed section 11 which has a U-shaped cross-section 16 best observed inFIGS. 3 and 4, are a unitary structure preferably made of a moldedplastic material. The main U-shaped body 16 of bowed section 11 would beopen at the top except for the fact from the holes oscillatesapproximately equal angles on g FIG. 1 is a side elevation viewpartially in crosssection showing a sprinkler according to thisinvention;

that it is closed by a'closure strip 17, which is also preferably madeof a molded plastic material.

Adjacent the upper edges of the Us 16 the respective inner walls areprovidedwith respective grooves 18 of a V-shaped cross-section as shownin FIGS. 3 and 4. The opposite sides of strip 17 are correspondinglybevelled to form protruding V-shapedbevels-l9 which fit into therespective grooves 18. At one end of the bowed section body 16 thegrooves 18 merge into a rounded formation 21 beneath which is a ledge22, best seen in FIG. 1. The opposite end of slot 20 is squared off at23. The strip 17 correspondingly is rounded at one end 24 to match therounded end 21 and is squared off at the opposite end 25.to match end23.

The unitary structure 11, 12, and 13 is made generally rigid andunyielding. The closure strip 17 however, is made relatively thin andspringy and when not attached to the bowed. section 1 1 strip 17 liesstraight and unbowed. To fit it to the section 11 the strip 17 will becorrespondingly bowed and its protruding bevels 19 will snap into thecorresponding grooves 18. Although the main body of the sprinklercomprising sections 11, 12 and 13 is relatively rigid and unyielding,the sides of the U 16 can be strained outwardly sufficient to permitpassage of the bevel of strip 17 into its groovesl8. Thus the lower partof bevels 19 will ride down on upper internal edges 26 of the U 16 tostrain the sides of the U apart, to permit passage of the bevels.

A number of nozzle holes 27 equally spaced apart from each other along astraight line lengthwise of strip 17 are formed through the strip. Atthe upper side of the strip there is formed aroundeach hole 27 a raisedcircular boss 28 whose internal diameter is greater than the diameter ofhole 27 at its exit. The wall of each nozzle 27 is conical so that thecross-section of each hole tapers from its greatest cross-section at theinnerside of strip 17 and its smallest cross-section is at its exit atthe upper side of strip 17. Another hole 29, larger than nozzle holes27, is formed through strip 17 near its end adjacent the end section 12.Hole 29 is surrounded by a boss 30 at the inner side of the strip 17.Hole 29 is normally plugged by a soft plug 9 such as a vinyl materialwhich can be removed from time to time for cleaning purposes.

Entrance into the interior of the bowed section 11 is provided throughend section 13 which is a hollow conduit. End section 12, however, isnot provided with any conduit and accordingly liquid cannot flow throughbowed section 11 past this end section. For purpose of rigidity, endsection 12 is made with mutually perpendicular webs 31 and circularparts 32. The exterior of the conduit end section 13 is provided withring members 33 and 34 and with an outstanding engaging member 35.

The sprinkler is operated in a known manner as other sprinklers of thisgeneral type. It is held at each of its ends 12 and 13 in fittings partsof which are indicated in phantom lines 36 and 37, and within which thesprinkler is adapted to rotate back and forth in an oscillatory mannerabout axis 14. The fitting 37 will comprise a conduit carrying liquidfrom a source under pressure to entrance section 13 and there willordinarily be an arm 38 which engages upstanding member 35 andreciprocates back and forth as indicated by arrows 39 to impart theoscillatory rotary motion to the sprinkler. The drive for the rotaryoscillatory motion is ordinarily a turbine (not shown) operated by forceof the liquid supplied to the sprinkler and a crank operated by theturbine imparts the desired motion to arm 38.

The liquid fills the interior 40 and is ejected out through theplurality of nozzle holes 27 in the form of thin sprays or jets 41. Asthe holes 27 are all aligned the spray jets leave the sprinkler in asingle'plane which, at the mid point of the arcuate travel representedby arrows 15, is vertical. Since the section 11 and hence the strip 17is bowed, only the jet or jets located centrally of the strip will bevertical and those at either side of the central location will becomemore and more oblique to the vertical. This will create a fan-type ofspray pattern. As the sprinkler moves to either side of its centralposition during its oscillation none of the sprays will be vertical asthey will all slant to one side or the other, and in this manner cover asubstantial area of irrigation'for a lawn or the like.

The spray jets leave the sprinkler in the desired fan formation, all inone plane, in a manner comparable to that heretofore obtainable only ina much more expensive type of device. This accurate orientation of thespray jets is made particularly effective by reason of the molded strip17, and especially the tapering of the holes 27 to smaller diameters atthe exterior.

It will be understood that the embodiments of the invention illustratedand described herein are given by way of illustration and notoflimitation, and that modifications or equivalents or alternativeswithin the scope of the invention 'may suggest themselves to thoseskilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a liquid sprinkler of the type having:

a hollow conduit having two ends and an opening at at least one of saidends for attachment to a source of supply of liquid and containing abowed section between said ends, provided with nozzle holes along itslength through which streams of liquid are ejected, said conduit beingadapted to be oscillated in rotary motion about an axis coaxial withsaid ends,

the improvement comprising:

an open slot along the convex side of said bowed section, the oppositesides of said slot each having a bevelled groove along its length;

a strip dimensioned to close said slot; said strip having bevelled sidesadapted to snap into the bevelled grooves of said slot;

said strip being provided with a plurality of nozzle holes spaced alongits lengththrough which liquid within theconduit is ejected in streamsall of which emerge from the conduit in a pattern substantially in oneplane. 2. A sprinkler according to claim 1 in which all of th nozzleholes are in a straight line.

3. A sprinkler according to claim 1 in which the nozzle holes havefrusto-conical surfaces so that the crosssectionsdecrease toward theexterior of the sprinkler.

4. A sprinkler according to claim 1 in which raised bosses are formedaround the exits of all the nozzle cross-section, the open part of the Uforming said slot.

1. In a liquid sprinkler of the type having: a hollow conduit having twoends and an opening at at least one of said ends for attachment to asource of supply of liquid and containing a bowed section between saidends, provided with nozzle holes along its length through which streamsof liquid are ejected, said conduit being adapted to be oscillated inrotary motion about an axis coaxial with said ends, the improvementcomprising: an open slot along the convex side of said bowed section,the opposite sides of said slot each having a bevelled groove along itslength; a strip dimensioned to close said slot; said strip havingbevelled sides adapted to snap into the bevelled grooves of said slot;said strip being provided with a plurality of nozzle holes spaced alongits length through which liquid within the conduit is ejected in streamsall of which emerge from the conduit in a pattern substantially in oneplane.
 2. A sprinkler according to claim 1 in which all of the nozzleholes are in a straight line.
 3. A sprinkler according to claim 1 inwhich the nozzle holes have frusto-conical surfaces so that thecross-sections decrease toward the exterior of the sprinkler.
 4. Asprinkler according to claim 1 in which raised bosses are formed aroundthe exits of all the nozzle holes.
 5. A sprinkler according to claim 1in which the bowed section is closed at one end and is provided with aninlet for liquid at the opposite end.
 6. A sprinkler according to claim5 in which a ledge is formed at the closed end on which thecorresponding end of the strip rests.
 7. A sprinkler according to claim6 in which the strip is rounded at said closed end.
 8. A sprinkleraccording to claim 1 in which the bowed section comprises a member witha U-shaped cross-section, the open part of the U formIng said slot.